U.S. Customs officials at O’Hare initially held up the shipment, when they found the paperwork to be “a little confusing.” Then the containers were X-rayed, and that’s when officials discovered what was inside, Brucci said.

"The heads still had the skin on them."

Not sure why they had to tell us that, I didn't think it wouldn't be on them.

“Everybody here is ‘Oh my gosh, you got a box of heads’ and everybody thinks that it’s unheard of,” Brian Bell, a spokesman with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.

I guess some of us just don't get out and around to the same places as those DHS agents.

The medical specimens had been in limbo since just before Christmas, when they arrived on a flight from Rome and were held up due to improper paperwork, said Mary Paleologos, a spokeswoman with the Cook County medical examiner’s office, whose office took custody of the heads this week.

Though the discovery was gruesome, they appear to be medical samples from Italy and were shipped to the US for cremation, but were initially "misplaced."

Now that the cremation service has showed up with the proper paperwork, the heads (including skin) will be released after authorities verify the paperwork.

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